Daily Archives: August 19, 2019

Sepp van den Berg was Liverpool’s first signing since being crowned champions of Europe for the sixth time.

The Reds announced they had agreed a deal to sign the highly-rated 17-year-old defender from PEC Zwolle on June 27, 2019.

A Netherlands U19s international, Van den Berg is known to be a strong and determined centre-half, who is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet.

The teenager progressed from the youth ranks at PEC Zwolle through to its first team and, in September 2018, broke Clarence Seedorf’s record to become the youngest ever player to make at least 10 Eredivisie appearances.

Van den Berg made his senior debut at the age of 16 years and 81 days when he came on as a substitute against FC Groningen on March 11, 2018, and would be in the starting XI for five matches before that season’s end.

He established himself further in the Dutch top flight during the 2018-19 campaign, making 15 league appearances, 10 of which were starts.

After becoming Liverpool’s first acquisition of the 2019 summer, Van den Berg was excited to continue his development on Merseyside.

“I think this is the best place for me to grow and hopefully play a lot of games here,” he said after penning his long-term contract.

Trent Alexander-Arnold emerged from Liverpool’s Academy to become a Champions League winner before his 21st birthday.

The Scouser joined the club at the age of six and, after progressing through the ranks, the converted right-back was an integral figure in securing European Cup No.6 as the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 final in Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold made history in that match at Estadio Metropolitano as the youngest player ever to start consecutive finals in the competition, having been part of the side that lost to Real Madrid a year earlier, and emulated the heroes he had watched through the walls at Melwood as a boy.

A dynamic, skilful player, Trent captained Liverpool’s U16 and U18 teams on his journey to the top level under Jürgen Klopp, which was kick-started by a switch in position from midfield to the right side of defence during his time at the Academy.

He was handed a senior debut in October 2016 and never looked back, enjoying a breakthrough season in 2017-18 which ended with heartbreak in the Champions League final.

But with a trip to the World Cup under his belt too, Alexander-Arnold stepped up again in 2018-19 and played 40 games as the Reds finished second in the Premier League with 97 points and lifted the European Cup.

The No.66, who committed his future to the club by signing a new contract midway through that season, also set a new benchmark for assists by a defender in a single Premier League campaign with 12.

Liverpool secured the services of the talented Irish goalkeeper in the summer of 2015.

Caomhin, pronounced Quivine, was born in Cork and joined the Reds from Ringmahon Rangers.

Having progressed through the ranks at the club’s Academy, Kelleher trains with the first team at Melwood.

He made three friendly appearances for the senior side in pre-season ahead of the 2018-19 campaign before signing a new contract and was on the bench for the FA Cup third-round tie at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The shot-stopper collected a winner’s medal after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final.

Kelleher received his first senior call-up to the Republic of Ireland national team in November 2018.

Ki-Jana Hoever completed his move to Liverpool from Ajax in September 2018.

The Netherlands U17 international, who is equally comfortable playing at centre-half or right-back, started his Academy career under the tutelage of Barry Lewtas with the club’s U18s.

Also a regular for the Reds’ U19s in the UEFA Youth League, Hoever made the step up to U23 level in November 2018, impressing on his debut for Neil Critchley’s team in their 1-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.

And, with a number of senior defenders struggling with injury, Jürgen Klopp duly called the Amsterdam-born teenager up to train with the first team at Melwood.

Hoever was subsequently named in the squad for Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2019 – and an early injury to Dejan Lovren resulted in Klopp summoning the youngster from the bench.

Partnering Fabinho at the heart of the Reds’ backline, Hoever produced an assured performance while becoming the third-youngest debutant – and youngest ever in the FA Cup – in the club’s history at the age of just 16 years and 354 days.

Speaking after his side were defeated 2-1 at Molineux, Klopp said of Hoever’s display: “He did well. He came on and did well. That’s how it sometimes starts – when you are really needed then it is only about if you are good enough and not how old you are.”

The defender featured regularly during the club’s 2019 summer tour of America and took another step in his career by signing his first professional contract with Liverpool that July.

Joel Matip is a dependable centre-half that joined Liverpool in July 2016 following the expiry of his Schalke contract.

Jürgen Klopp closely observed the No.32 while in charge of Borussia Dortmund and earmarked him as a potential recruit shortly before taking over the reigns at Anfield.

A defender more than comfortable with the ball at his feet and not afraid to venture forwards, Matip was a hit among supporters during his first season at club. He would open his goalscoring account for the Reds on October 29, 2016, powerfully heading in at Crystal Palace.

Matip was a prominent figure for Klopp’s side in the following campaign, but an untimely thigh issue in April saw him miss out on the 2018 Champions League final.

His 2018-19 season was also threatened to be disrupted by a broken collarbone sustained in December. However, Matip returned to the fold a month later and went on to become one of Liverpool’s most consist performaners en route to winning the European Cup and having the Premier League’s best defensive record.

Incredible performances alongside Virgil van Dijk against Barcelona in both legs of the semi-final were followed up by a typically assured outing in the Madrid final.

Divock Origi’s permanent place in Liverpudlian folklore is secure after a 2018-19 season that culminated in the Belgian sealing the club’s sixth European Cup.

The forward’s late goal in the Champions League final – an expertly-taken, left-footed finish – put the Reds into an unassailable 2-0 lead over Tottenham Hotspur and ensured the heartache of Kiev 12 months earlier was consigned to history.

Origi, of course, was also a driving force behind Liverpool’s improbable semi-final victory over FC Barcelona, with his goals bookending an unforgettable 4-0 second-leg success that will go down as possibly the greatest European night in Anfield’s rich history.

Just three days prior to that incredible triumph, Origi came off the bench to glance home an 86th-minute winner at Newcastle United that kept the Reds’ hopes of winning the Premier League title alive.

But his series of talismanic performances during a campaign that ended with Jürgen Klopp’s side registering a club-record 97 top-flight points and Champions League success began in December, when his 96th-minute Kop-end goal beat Everton and sparked delirious scenes of celebration at Anfield.

That represented Origi’s third strike in five appearances against the Blues since he joined the Reds from Lille in July 2014.

Two of his five seasons as a Liverpool player have been spent on loan – at Lille and Wolfsburg respectively – but the three campaigns during which he has remained at Anfield have been littered with important contributions.

In 2015-16, Origi played a key role in the Reds’ run to the Europa League final – a game he missed due to injury – while he also scored 11 times in 43 appearances in 2016-17.

The 2018-19 season, though, represents the crowning glory of Origi’s Liverpool career to date – and on July 10, 2019, he signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Andy Robertson’s rise from amateur football to a Champions League-winning captain of his country has been nothing short of meteoric.

Now firmly established as one of the world’s premier full-backs, Robertson was, incredibly, still playing for Queen’s Park in his native Glasgow as recently as 2013.

Over the course of two seasons with Liverpool – following a transfer from Hull City in the summer of 2017 – Robertson has played in consecutive Champions League finals having progressed from squad player to key component in Jürgen Klopp’s team.

An indefatigable presence on the Reds’ left flank, Robertson’s 2018-19 season included a remarkable tally of 13 assists, being appointed captain of Scotland, a new long-term contract with Liverpool and places in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and Champions League squad of the season – plus, of course, a European Cup winner’s medal.

The left-back missed only two Premier League matches throughout the campaign as the Reds amassed a club-record total of 97 points, and featured in all but one of the club’s 13 games as they claimed Champions League glory in Madrid.

Robertson’s journey to the pinnacle of European football saw him join Dundee United from Queen’s Park, before his first taste of Premier League football came with Hull in 2014-15.

Rhian Brewster arrived at Liverpool from Chelsea as a 15-year-old and the striker’s eye for goal was abundantly clear as he quickly progressed through the club’s Academy ranks.

After making a blistering start at U18 level, Brewster soon celebrated his U23s debut by finding the net during a 3-0 win over Ipswich Town in the Premier League Cup on January 22, 2017.

In October 2017, Brewster played a major part in helping England U17s to World Cup glory in India. Brewster finished the tournament as top scorer, with seven of his eight goals coming in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Returning to Liverpool, he was named in a first-team matchday squad for the first time at the age of 17 for a home Premier League clash with Crystal Palace back in April 2017.

Brewster’s 2017-18 season was ended in January after suffering ligament damage to his right ankle following a heavy fall during Liverpool U23s’ encounter with Manchester City in January 2018.

On July 17, 2018, Liverpool announced Brewster had signed a new long-term contract with the club.

At the end of his long road to recovery, Brewster was on the bench for Liverpool’s last two matches of their successful 2018-19 Champions League campaign – the dramatic semi-final second-leg comeback against Barcelona and 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.